Nintendo is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics company. This company is specialized in the design and development of home video gaming consoles, portable consoles, and accessories such as Nintendo controller, Nintendo joy con. The Nintendo Wii (nee Revolution) claims the capability to play any title from Nintendo’s directory. The Wii console, developed by Nintendo, released in 2006, much less powerful a box than the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3. Nonetheless, it does feature an advanced control system which aims to take the difficulty out of playing and bring on-gamers into the fold. With this development, Nintendo has gone down a different path than Sony and Microsoft who went for grunt and multimedia extravagance as their next-gen consoles.
The Wii Nintendo console has transformed the gaming industry with its exclusive motion controls and gameplay experiences. The Wii offers a diverse library of games that cater interests of youngers and elders. In this article, we’ll explore the aspects including features, design, performance and benefits etc.
Design
Size. The console is surprisingly smaller — much smaller — than either the 360 or the PS3. The Wii is compact enough to be a easily fit in most living room situations. It can either be stored on its side or flat or. Nintendo have provided a special grey stand to store Wii sitting up as well.
Exterior
- Wii looks quite attractive with smooth exterior, and is overall has a much improved finish than the Xbox 360.
- Unit’s surface generally clutter-free.
- Disc loading slot on front of the Wii features, with a nice blue color glow while inserting or removing discs.
- The top of the unit has a power and reset button, while the bottom has an eject button.
- SD card slot and Wii remote sync button along its edge is a discreet panel.
- Two panels are along the top edge of the unit. The first panel carries four slots for GameCube controllers. The second has two GameCube memory card slots. The back of the unit is clean, with only a power, AV Multi-Out and sensor bar slot.
Remote. It has wireless controls. It has distinctive controllers in rectangular-shape, which look like a remote controls for TVs. These remotes feature only a few buttons including a power button, a four-way control pad, a large opaque A button, three buttons for volume and main menu access. Remote control also encompasses two more game control buttons, a small speaker and four blue indicator lights which indicate which number controller that particular remote is (four remotes can be synched to it at one time). A large trigger-like Z button at the back of the remote is, while removable casing for the remote’s two AA batteries at the bottom.
Nunchuck. The remote controls basic navigation and some games. However, an extra attachment is required for other titles. The ‘nunchuck’ attachment is provided as pre-package with every Wii. A short cable is used to connect it to the bottom of the wireless remote. It includes a small joystick on its top and two buttons along its top edge.
Wireless connectivity. Wireless connectivity between the controllers and the console is well-ordered, however unlike the 360’s built-in wireless sensors, the Wii’s more sophisticated system requires an external sensor bar (a thin, long and black piece of plastic) to be placed near your TV screen.
Motion Controls. The Wii’s motion controls have transformed the way, we play games. The Wii Remote precisely translates real-life movements of player into the game i.e , someone is playing a tennis match, swinging a sword or steering a racing car. This exclusive feature adds a new level of immersion and excitement to gaming.
Features
- The Wii is mainly a games machine as per Nintendo. It has different multimedia and features than Xbox 360, PS2, GameCube and the PlayStation 3.
- Wii has less detailed graphics on all of its games. Videos and music cannot be streamed wirelessly over a home network.
- It lacks an internal hard drive means you can’t store media onto the Wii itself.
- Wii’s has unique controller, which aims to simplify the gaming experience. The Wii remote controls are intelligent to sense movement in three dimensions, as well as gauge the speed at which the controller is travelling.
- Unlike the Xbox 360’s, which has limited backwards compatibility with Xbox games, the Wii can play any GameCube game. You simply need to insert the GameCube disc into the Wii’s disc slot and the game will start. The remote controls will not work with GameCube games. The Wii sport four ports for GameCube controllers.
- The Wii features Virtual Console, a built-in emulator which enables you play games from other consoles including the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive and Turbografx.
- The Wii can connect wirelessly to the Internet via WiFi, but doesn’t sport an Ethernet port for a direct cable connection.
- Wii features slideshow, allowing users to upload images via SD and view them on their TV screen.
Wii Sports – Fun for Everyone.A collection of sports themed games, has been bundled with every Wii console as Wii Sports. It has displayed the capabilities of the motion controls and provided an enjoyable experience for players of all age groups. From bowling strikes to swinging golf clubs, Wii Sports has become a household favorite and has increased the social activity by bringing families and friends together.
A Library of Games to Suit Every Taste. The Wii claims that it has offered an extensive library of games that cater for generally all age groups. It includes different titles from family-friendly like Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Galaxy to fitness-focused games like Wii Fit Plus. Additionally, the Wii Virtual Console also has the provision to download classic games from previous Nintendo consoles.
The Wii Shop Channel: Expand Your Gaming Collection. An online Wii Shop Channel allows users to download games, demos, and other content directly to their consoles.
The Wii Community: Connect and Compete. The Wii’s multiplayer capabilities has enabled players to connect and compete with friends and gamers from around the world including friends and family.
Specifications
| Specification | Wii Nintendo Console |
| Release Year | 2006 |
| Graphics | Up to 480p |
| Controllers | Wii Remote, Nunchuk |
| CPU | IBM PowerPC “Broadway” 729 MHz |
| Storage | 512 MB Internal Flash Memory |
| RAM | 88 MB |
| GPU | ATI “Hollywood” GPU |
| Disc Format | Wii Optical Disc |
| Online Service | Wii Shop Channel, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection |
| Backward Compatibility | N/A |
| Other Notable Features | Motion Controls (Wii Remote) |
Performance
- It’s easy to set up the Wii. All users need to do is connect power and the multi AV-out. Sensor bar displays a sweet spot for the connected. The front of Wii has a red Synchronizing button, while the corresponding button is on the remote behind the battery cover. User is guided through an easy menu driven screens during the initial set-up.
- On booting up, a series of Wii Channels appears on screen, which act as menu selections. Users simply use the remote to navigate.
- The graphics the Wii produces are impressive, but less in comparison to games of the 360.
- The Wii remote is sensitive and can pick up fine movements. You can find that slightly twisting your hand when bowling in Wii Sports, for example, will result in spin. This level of fine control sets the Wii Remotes apart from previous motion sensitive games.
- You will need quite a bit of space in order to enjoy some of the more movement games. This because the remote sensor needs some space between you and it to work at its best and because the chances of accidentally hitting someone with the Wii Remote.
- The Wii sports some good games including Rayman Raving Rabbids, Call of Duty 3 and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz in addition to Nintendo’s own The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Comparison with Other Competitors
| Specification | Wii Nintendo Console | Xbox 360 | GameCube | PlayStation 3 |
| Release Year | 2006 | 2005 | 2001 | 2006 |
| Graphics | Up to 480p | Up to 1080p | Up to 480p | Up to 1080p |
| Controllers | Wii Remote, Nunchuk | Xbox 360 Controller | GameCube Controller | DualShock 3 Controller |
| CPU | IBM PowerPC “Broadway” 729 MHz | IBM PowerPC Tri-Core 3.2 GHz | IBM PowerPC “Gekko” 485 MHz | IBM Cell Broadband Engine 3.2 GHz |
| Storage | 512 MB Internal Flash Memory | Multiple versions (20 GB, 60 GB, 120 GB, etc.) | 1.5 GB Optical Disc | Multiple versions (20 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, etc.) |
| GPU | ATI “Hollywood” GPU | Custom ATI “Xenos” GPU | ATI “Flipper” GPU | NVIDIA RSX “Reality Synthesizer” |
| RAM | 88 MB | 512 MB | 40 MB | 256 MB |
| Disc Format | Wii Optical Disc | DVD, CD | GameCube Optical Disc | Blu-ray Disc |
| Online Service | Wii Shop Channel, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection | Xbox Live | N/A | PlayStation Network |
| Backward Compatibility | N/A | Select Xbox games | N/A | PlayStation, PS2 |
| Other Notable Features | Motion Controls (Wii Remote) | Xbox Live Marketplace, Kinect (motion sensing) | N/A | Blu-ray Player |
Games
The Wii Nintendo Console has a vast library of variety of games available both in physical disc format and as downloadable titles. As a rough assessment, over 1,500 official games have been released for the Wii throughout its lifespan. Here’s a list of some famous games for the Wii:
- Wii Sports
- Mario Kart Wii
- Super Mario Galaxy
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Wii Fit
- Wii Play
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- Metroid Prime Trilogy
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn
- Xenoblade Chronicles
- Wii Sports Resort
- Mario Party 9
- Just Dance (series)
- Animal Crossing: City Folk
- Monster Hunter Tri
- Pikmin 2
Conclusion
The Wii offers endless possibilities for entertainment and social interaction by immersive gameplay and as a fun family activity.